Lactation and Yellow Fever vaccine..Here is what the scientific evidence says regarding Yellow Fever Vaccination during breast feeding.
Whether this vaccine is excreted in human milk is unknown. However, at least 2 cases of yellow fever vaccine-associated neurologic disease have been documented in infants, presumably associated with breastfeeding transmission of yellow fever vaccine virus. No testing has been done to detect the yellow fever vaccine virus in breast milk, so it can only be said that the vaccine virus was transmitted through breastfeeding, but it has not been definitively determined that transmission occurred via the breast milk. Therefore, breastfeeding is a precaution to yellow fever vaccination, and women should be cautioned to avoid this vaccination while breastfeeding. Since risk exists and there are many gaps in knowledge, breastfeeding mothers should be discouraged from traveling to yellow fever–endemic areas. However, if travel to a yellow fever–endemic area cannot be avoided or postponed, then the mother should be vaccinated.
As per this study, in case the vaccine is given, avoiding Breast feeding for 10 days and then resuming it should be more than sufficient in avoiding any small risk to the baby
My opinion : Given that most mother's traveling to Yellow Fever vaccination designated areas are unlikely to be going to a very high risk area, I would believe it best if they could
1) Avoid travel during this period
2) Preferably avoid the vaccine, given the small theoretical risk to the baby.
If they plan to stay for a long time, or go to a high risk area, then they should consider taking the vaccine, either before traveling, or take it later once the child is off breastfeed.The best thing would be to discuss these issues individually with your travel physician, or visit us @ Charak Clinics, Mohali.
